After lunch, Dante and Focalors continued to stroll inside the mall. They played in the ice-skating rink, the arcade, and the bowling alley. And to prevent other people from recognising him, Dante used his Illusion Ability to disguise Azumarill into having a normal color.
"This is…?"
Seeing Azumarill change from his golden color to blue in front of her eyes, Focalors stared at Dante in confusion.
"It's an application of my ability. Remember how I can talk to Pokemon? As it turns out, I can do much more than that."
"Really? What else can you do?"
Focalors' face piqued with interest.
"Well, in addition to talking with Pokemon and this Illusion ability, I seemed to have a more powerful physique."
Dante had seen the discussion on the Pokenet about him having superpowers. After thinking about it for a while, he also thought this was a perfect excuse on why his Pokemon were so strong. He had already told Shinobu the same story. However, after hearing him she just nodded without any surprise.
Instead, it was her statement 'You think I didn't notice your abnormal stamina in bed?' which made Dante speechless.
Focalors inquired more about Dante's abilities while they and their Pokemon played in the arcade.
In the shooting games, Ursaring and Riolu teamed up to defeat the oncoming zombie Pokemon. Azumarill, Pikachu, and Dragonite were playing racing games, the three Pokemon had a serious look in their eyes as they tried to race past each other.
Meanwhile, Mawile, along with Dante and Focalors, accompanied Alolan Vulpix and Eevee into playing all the games they wanted. Whack-a-mole, in which they use their paws to hit the emerging Digletts. Pac-man, with Munchlax as the player who was being chased by Gengar and Grimmsnarl. And along with other kiddie games.
When it was 5 PM, they walked out of the arcade with smiles on their faces. Seeing the time, Dante and Focalors decided to watch a movie before going back.
"Hey, there's a show here starring Furina."
Dante stood in front of a poster. There, Furina was wearing a Sherlock Holmes-style clothes and holding a magnifying glass with a serious expression. A dark shadow stood beside her with a menacing look in their eyes.
"Pika pikachu!!" (Oh! That's Charlotte Holmes and Jack the Ripper! It's one of her classic movies! We have to watch it!)
Pikachu shook Dante's shoulder, his eyes shining with enthusiasm.
"What are you so excited about? Knowing you, you've probably watched it dozens of times already."
"Pika!" (I did not! I only watched it 5 times at most!)
Dante gave Pikachu a dull stare, then decided to ignore him and asked Focalors' opinion instead.
"Have you watched this movie before?"
"Of course! I've watched every movie my sister participated in."
Focalors fondly smiled while staring at said poster. She remembered the stage play Furina would perform tomorrow with her class. Her sister had been busy these past few days because of that, which allowed her to go on a date with Dante unhindered.
'After Dante, Shinobu, and I finalized the agreement, I can tell her the good news. This should give me enough influence in the family so Furina won't have to obey orders she doesn't want to.'
Focalors silently nodded in satisfaction at her plan. She would get married to her crush, gain more power in the family, and give her sister the freedom she deserved. It was perfect!
Well, except that she would be the secondary wife. However, Shinobu's kindness made this an almost non-factor.
After discussing for a while, and learning that Dante hadn't watched this movie yet, Focalors decided to go watch this one under Pikachu's approving cheer. They bought popcorn, drinks, and 8 tickets to the movie.
They had to wait in line for more than 10 minutes before they could buy the tickets. Dante gazed at the remaining people still lining up behind them.
Even though the movie had been released for more than 2 years already, there were still quite a lot who wanted to watch the show. From this, it can be seen how influential Furina really is. Of course, it may also be that the movie was really just that good.
Dante and Focalors sat together near the back. They held Eevee and Alolan Vulpix in their laps, while their Pokemon sat beside them, almost occupying a whole row of seats.
"So? What's this movie about? A mystery-suspense film?"
Dante leaned in and whispered to Focalors, her lavender scent wafting into his nose.
"Close, but not quite. It's a musical mystery drama."
"Musical…drama? Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper?"
Dante raised an eyebrow in disbelief. He suddenly felt that maybe it was a bad decision to watch this movie.
Fortunately, the opening of the movie alleviated some of that feeling.
A smooth melody accompanied by an ethereal voice resounded from the theater speakers. The screen zoomed out, revealing Furina wearing a brown tweed suit, a deerstalker hat, and a monocle on her left eye.
She danced on the wooden floor, playing a violin on her shoulders which she accompanied with her singing. As the music died down, Furina Holmes opened her eyes.
"I see. It was simplicity itself."
Furina smirked and donned the brown Inverness cape placed on the chair, her action causing the screen to turn dark. Then, the words: "Charlotte Holmes and the Mystery of Jack the Ripper" emerged.
"Furina can play the violin?"
Dante asked. He admitted, the opening scene was enough to capture his attention and make him anticipate the rest of the scenes. Maybe this movie isn't as bad as it sounds?
"Yes. She has an uncanny talent in music and has mastered all musical instruments she is interested in."
Focalors answered, a note of pride in her voice.
"Her?"
Dante raised an eyebrow. He thought that bratty girl just relied on family connections to become famous. But it seems he had been a little biased.
The two of them continued to watch the movie. At the beginning, Furina was commissioned by the police to find the criminal in the recent killing of women around the church. Together with her assistant Watson, a Kirlia, Furina came to the crime scene.
She sang while examining the blood and marks on the ground, a song lamenting the future of these women which ceased to be.
As Dante focused on watching, he felt a soft hand hold his. He turned and saw Focalors with a soft smile on her face.
"She's amazing, isn't she?"
Focalors whispered. She laid her head on Dante's shoulder, the tip of her hair tickling his cheek.
"Yeah, I'm beginning to understand why she is so popular around the world."
Dante replied while stroking her smooth soft hands.
They remained in that position for the rest of the movie. They watched Furina meet a beggar named Esther. The two of them formed a strong bond as Furina showed love and care to the little girl.
Then, in a grand twist of fate, it was revealed that the 'little girl' was a grown-up all along! She had a rare condition called hypopituitarism, a disease which inhibited her ability to produce hormones and stunted her growth.
Not only that, her real name was Jackie. She was Jack the Ripper who tricks women that abandoned their children and kills them in cold blood.
The movie ended with another musical scene, Furina and Jackie standing on the edge of a cliff after a wild and exciting chase. Then, with a tearful goodbye, Jackie jumped, and with it ending the case of Jack the Ripper.
"That…was certainly something."
As they walked out of the theater, Dante recalled the final part of the movie. Furina's tears, her sad, soulful voice, and the smile of relief on Jackie's face. It was no wonder Pikachu called this movie 'a classic'.
"Have you never watched any of her movies?"
Focalors looked at her boyfriend in surprise. She thought he only hadn't watched this one because of the film's premise.
"No. I never really liked watching movies. I'm more of a reading kind of guy."
Dante gave an excuse. When he came to this world, he had been focused on studying for the Trainer Exam. And after, he only occasionally watched Pokemon action adventures. Since the movies Furina starred in were mostly dramas, he never got a chance to watch her act until now.
"That's such a pity! If we have the chance, we must do a movie marathon of all her films."
"Pika!" (Agreed!)
Dante glanced at the fanatical Focalors and Pikachu. Recalling the movie they just watched, he smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Tomorrow, Furina's class will perform a stage play for the whole school. She saved some seats for our group. I'm sure that will be another masterpiece."
"Huh, I can't wait to watch her live performance then."
After hanging around for a little bit more, Dante and Focalors went back to the University. As they entered the mansion's living room, they saw Shinobu and Mualani sitting on the sofa and discussing something.
The two also noticed Dante and Focalors. Shinobu stood up to give Dante a hug, while Mualani grinned and waved at Focalors.
"How was the date?"
"I'd say it went pretty well. We brought dinner."
Dante gave his girlfriend a tight squeeze before he walked towards the dining room to place the roasted chicken he bought. Eevee and Vulpix trotted after him, the two baby Pokemon heading towards their milk bowl.
Shinobu watched her boyfriend's back until it disappeared from view. Then, she leaned in, a curious look on her face as she whispered to Focalors.
"So? Did you have fun?"
"Hmm, certainly. How about you? Have you made a decision?"
Focalors stared at Shinobu, a drop of sweat oozing out of her forehead. She and Dante had this date under the green-haired girl's suggestion. She said this was needed for her to decide whether to agree to this harem thing or not.
"As expected, when I thought about Dante taking another girl to have some fun, I felt uncomfortable."
Shinobu's tone changed, turning a little gloomy.
Focalors' heartbeat sped up. She opened her mouth, planning to say something when Shinobu suddenly looked up, her lips shifting into a smile.
"But I think I can manage. I'll just make sure to have Dan compensate me later."
"So, does that mean…?"
"Hehe, welcome to the family."
A/N: Whew, I initially planned the movie scene to be something lewd, with Dante using his Illusion ability as cover. But it seems we'll have to wait for that next time.
And with that, this date is finally over! Focalors is now officially included in the harem! Next, we'll have Furina's performance before proceeding to a timeskip/interlude. Then, Dante and his team will finally tackle their first 5 star dungeon!
Also, I changed my writing schedule to 5 chapters/week. I adjusted the word count target from 1,500 words per chapter to 2,100 to compensate, but sadly, it would take 30 days for that to be reflected here.